USA > Indiana > Encyclopedia of biography of Indiana > Part 4
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take a post-graduate course in some one of the Eastern seminaries. In the fulfill- ment of this purpose, at the close of the year he went to New York City and spent some time at Union Theological Semi- nary. He then went to the Andover Theological Seminary, at Andover, Mas- sachusetts, to attend the lectures on the- ology by Prof. Edwards A. Park, D. D .. LL. D., whose reputation as a theologian was very high. While at Andover Mr. Condit, by request, went "'way down East," to the old town of Thomaston, Maine, to supply the pulpit of the Con- gregational Church for two Sabbaths. Here an opening was held out to take charge of the church, but he gave them no encouragement, for the reason, as stated to them, that Thomaston was too far from the center of the world, i. e., Terre Haute, Indiana. Returning to And- over, he found a letter awaiting him from Springfield, Pennsylvania, containing an invitation to visit the Presbyterian church in that place. In reply, he con- sented to stop over for a single Sabbath on his return to his home in Indiana. In the matter of candidating a new and somewhat unusual experience occurred here. When he arrived he learned that a young minister, a candidate for the pulpit, was already on the ground. Under the circumstances he declined to preach; but the elders of the church were so per- sistent that he consented on the condition that in all the arrangements for preach- ing the good brother should have the precedence. The Sabbath came, and
there was a large congregation present at the first service; but at the second serv- ire, when Mr. C.'s turn came to occupy the pulpit, the house was filled to over- flowing, by reason of the public notice given out in the morning. On Monday morning Mr. C. bade the brethren fare- well, with the understanding that his name was not to come before the church as a candidate. The result, however, was that an invitation to become their pastor soon followed him, and an agreement was entered into by which he took charge of the church, which was in the Presbytery of Erie; and upon uniting with the Pres- bytery, arrangements were made by which Mr. Condit was duly examined and ordained by the Presbytery. This was in 1859. While at Springfield, Pennsyl- vania, a rare and unexpected opportunity offered for a tour in Europe. After some hesitation, a visit to Egypt and the Holy Land was determined upon. He read up for these Bible countries. Failing, how- ever, to secure company in this country. and even in London and Paris, he was compelled to confine his journeyings to England, France, Italy and Switzerland; or, rather, for the most part to London. Paris, Geneva, Rome and Naples. After an absence of some nine months he re- turned to America. Mr. Condit served the Terre Haute Second Presbyterian church as pastor for seven years, from 1868 to 1875, when from a serious attack of typhoid fever he was compelled to resign and practically retire from the active duties of the ministry, although
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for a long time he continued to preach as opportunity offered. This Second Pres- byterian church was originally the "Baldwin chinreh," named in honor of the Rev. Elihu W. Baldwin, D. D., the first president of Wabash College, and was situated on the northeast corner of Ohio and Fifth streets. In 1875 Mr. Condit was elected Stated Clerk of Vincennes Presbytery. which position he held by a continuous series of re-elections for twen- ty years. He served the Presbytery also for many years as chairman of the Com- mittee on Home Missions. In this ea- pacity, in the exercise of the needful over- sight of the mission churches, he became almost from necessity the bishop of the Presbytery. In 1871 Mr. Condit was elected a member of the board of trustees of Wabash College, which place he held until 1896. During these twenty-five years he was kept in elose touch with the interests of the college. For the most part. however, his time has been given to literary pursuits. His "History of the English Bible" is a valuable work. Sev- eral years were occupied in its produc- tion. The public libraries of Boston, also other Eastern libraries, were visited and searched for needful material. The book was published by Messrs. A. S. Barnes & Co., New York City, in 1882. It eon- tains 450 pages. A second edition of the work, revised, illustrated and enlarged. was issued by Messrs. Barnes & Co. in 1896. The collection of old English Bibles, made necessary in writing this volume, is probably as extensive as any
in the State. He paid as high as $75 for a single copy of Cranmer's Bible, pub- lished. in black letter, in 1549. This book is a literary curiosity, illustrating as it does the handiwork of the bookmaker's art. Next to this volume on the same shelf stands a copy of Matthewe's Bible. also in black letter. and published in 1549. Among the earliest translations of the New Testament into English is the celebrated relic of the "First Printed English New Testament" translated by William Tyndale, 1524-5, done in facsim- ile text. AAmong the smaller pamphlets published by Mr. Condit is a "Historie Discourse," delivered at the Quarter Cen- tury Anniversary of the Second Presby- terian church, Terre Haute, Indiana, De- cember 27, 1873. This deserves mention simply on the ground that it deals with the early history of the town as well as of the church. In 1898 he published his "Short Studies of Familiar Bible Texts." through the publishing house of Messrs. Fleming H. Revell & Co., Chicago and New York. The honorary degree of D. D. was conferred on Mr. Condit by the board of trustees of Marietta College, Marietta. Ohio, in 1889. On the 26th of February. 1862. Mr. Condit was married to Miss Sarah L. Mills, the daughter of Prof. Caleb Mills. D. D., of Crawfordsville, who was really the father of the common school system of Indiana. Of the eight children born to them three only remain. namely, Howe Allen, Helen and Joseph Dayton. Mrs. Condit was born in Craw- fordsville, Indiana, November 7, 1838.
Very Truly yours E. Co. Atis.
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She is of Puritan stock, as both father and mother were natives of New Hamp- shire, but moved to Indiana in 1833. Mrs. Condit was graduated from Mt. Holyoke Seminary, South Hadley, Massachusetts, in 1858. For several years she has been prominent in the charity work of our city. Among her friends and acquaintances she is held in the highest esteem. Mr. Condit is a man of high moral principle and firm character. His cordiality of manner commends him in social intercourse. His earnest zeal in the pursuit of whatever is right and virtuous long ago established his standing in the community. The sub- stantial foundation of scholarship which was laid in college has sustained the lib- eral learning and broad culture of later years. His researches among books have been large, and the literary tone of his writings is pure.
ELIAS C. ATKINS.
The earliest representative of the Atkins family in America was Thomas Atkins, who emigrated from England in the Seventeenth Century and settled in New England. From his son Benoni was descended Rollin Atkins, father of the subject of this sketch, who was born in Bristol, Connecticut. Rollin Atkins mar- ried Miss Harriet Bishop, of the same city. Elias C. Atkins was born at Bristol, Connecticut, June 28, 1833, and was the youngest of a family of six children. His early education was obtained in the com-
mon schools of New England, and later at the Connecticut Literary Institution at Suffield, Connecticut. At the age of twelve he was apprenticed to the trade of saw-making and continued in that em- ployment until his seventeenth year. His thorough knowledge of the business and his mechanical genius soon caused his promotion to the position of superintend- ent of the works. His evenings were de- voted to study and reading, the lack of earlier opportunities having inspired a desire to improve such advantages as later and more favorable circumstances offered. Mr. Atkins, desiring a wider field of usefulness than was opened in New England, removed in 1855 to Cleveland, Ohio, and established the first saw man- ufactory in that city. One year's experi- ence convinced him that the saw indus- try could be developed under more favor- able conditions further west, and, dispos- ing of his interests in Cleveland, he re- moved to Indianapolis in 1856, and there established the first manufactory of saws and what proved eventually to be one of the largest manufacturing industries in the State. Beginning with limited capi- tal and the employment of but a single assistant, in the business of saw repair- ing and manufacturing, the enterprise has increased to such proportions as to now utilize the labor of about 500 men and furnishes its products to a large area of territory throughout the United States and to foreign countries. Much of the machinery used in the various depart- ments of manufacture is the invention of
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BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
Mr. Atkins and protected by patents. His inventions relate principally to improve- ments on machinery and methods used in his business. It is a matter of record that from 1880 to 1890 the number of pat- ents issued to Mr. Atkins was sixteen, and to only six men in the State of Indi- ana were there issued a greater number during that period. In the commercial valne of these inventions his were proba- bly equal to any of that number. These inventions were the outgrowth of the ne- cessities of the business in supplement- ing a limited capital, in the beginning, and from a determination on his part to excel all competitors in this line. He gave practical demonstration to his the- ory which was this: that with his im- provements on machinery and methods of manufacture, he would be able to produce at a minimum cost perfect goods such as could be safely warranted in every par- ticular. His success was soon evidenced by the buyers and imitators of his high grade of saws that came from all parts of the United States. He did not undertake to dispose of his patents, but used them in his business and was soon able with- out difficulty to place all the goods he could manufacture with the jobbers and dealers throughout the country. As their business increased they were obliged to establish three branch houses in order to meet the growing demand for their goods, and these were located at Mem- phis and Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Medals have been awarded them at all the great indus-
trial expositions held in this country dur- ing the last quarter of a century. Mr. Atkins' remarkable business saga- city was also demonstrated by his de- velopment of large mining interests in the West, notably the properties of the Hecla Consolidated Mining Company and their extensive silver, copper and lead mines. On the discovery of the mines by prospectors employed by himself and his associate, Mr. N. Armstrong, a very suc- cessful miner of the West, Mr. Atkins conceived the plan of consolidating the mines of the entire section, known as the "Trapper Mining District," and forming a company to own and operate the mines of the entire district. To accomplish this end he formed the Hecla Consolidated Mining Company and associated with himself a few men with capital and abil- ity. Other mines were discovered and de- veloped and extensive reduction works erected under his management. The stock of the company was increased from time to time as the value of the property increased by development and purchase, to a total capitalization of $1,500,000. He went into the mountains of Montana, where all the materials, tools and sup- plies had to be conveyed in wagons 350 miles overland from Ogden, Utah. For two years he lived the rough life of a miner, acting as superintendent and gen- eral manager. His success in what was to him a new field of enterprise is shown by the fact that from an original invest- ment of about $60,000 the company was later capitalized for $1,500,000, and for
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BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
many years it has paid annual dividends of from twelve per cent. to fifteen per cent. on that amount, and the total divi- dends have aggregated over $2,000,000. Another commercial enterprise in the suc- cess of which Mr. Atkins takes just pride, and one that has been of great benefit to the material interests of Indianapolis, is the Manufacturers Natural Gas Com- pany. The two established gas compa- nies being unable to furnish the manu- facturers of Indianapolis an adequate supply of gas for fuel during the winter months Mr. Atkins and others organized the Manufacturers Natural Gas Com- pany, in 1892, for the purpose of supply- ing their respective factories with natu- ral gas. Mr. Atkins was elected a member of the first board of directors, served as president of the board for three years and is still a director. Not only was their original purpose accomplished, but the company was able to supply other mann- facturers with gas when the service of the old companies was cut off on account of inadequate supply. The company was not organized for the purpose of making money by supplying gas to customers, but simply as a matter of self-protection in having an unfailing supply in their own factories. Mr. Atkins' co-operation in this enterprise was always most hearty and efficient and he was far-sighted in the matter of procuring leases and in erecting the most complete pumping station in the State for pumping gas to the city. This station is located near Franklin, Indiana. A leading business
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man of Indianapolis, who has been inti- mately associated with Mr. Atkins, says of him: "The impulse and encourage- ment given to the manufacturing indus- tries of Indianapolis by Mr. Atkins can never be measured, and in every way he has been a valuable and public-spirited citizen. I have been intimately asso- ciated with Mr. Atkins for many years and know him to be a man of the strietest integrity and unflinching in his adherence to what he believes to be right. To put it tersely, he is a man of metal as true as the steel of which his famous saws are made." A prominent merchant and man- ufacturer says of him: "I first knew Mr. Atkins in 1866, when he occupied a small shop near the present site of their offices at the corner of South Illinois and West South streets. At that early period, working at the anvil with one or two assistants, he had created such a demand for his saws that his customers were obliged to give orders in advance and wait for their completion. Even in these days his saws were noted for a peculiar quality which was a delight to the me. chanie and woodsman. Indeed, their great elasticity and cutting qualities might be likened to the famous swords of Damascus. He is a man of indomitable energy and courage, as is shown by the difficulties he overcame, starting in single-handed and alone, with limited capital, to compete with the established manufacturers of the East." Mr. Atkins is a remarkable business man and in him there is the rare combination of inventor
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BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
and financier, and both developed in a | Mr. Atkins married Miss Sarah J. Wells, marked degree. No history of the ma- terial interests of the State of Indiana would be complete without a record of what this man has accomplished, and what an object lesson is the "simple annals" of his life, to the ambitious youth of to-day. Of recent years Mr. Atkins has left the active management of the busi- ness to his associates in the company. His son, Henry C. Atkins, is now ably directing the affairs of the concern, as vice-president and superintendent. Mr. Atkins is still president of the corpora- tion, which was founded in 1885, and the capital stock of which is $600,000. The other officers are: N. A. Gladding, seere- tary; M. A. Potter, treasurer; J. W. Perkins, assistant secretary, and A. D. Gates, assistant treasurer. The exclusive business of E. C. Atkins & Co. is the man- ufacture of all kinds of saws and saw tools. Mr. Atkins is president of The Rough Notes Company, proprietors and publishers of an insurance and literary journal, entitled "Rough Notes." Mr. Atkins has been a member of the First Baptist church since 1856 and has always been one of the efficient workers and con- tributing members. He is a Republican in politics, but without ambition for of- fice, his time being exclusively devoted to his various business pursuits. He is a member of the Commercial Club, the Co- lumbia Club, the Contemporary Club, the Indianapolis Board of Trade, and is the oldest living member of Marion Lodge, F. and A. M. At the age of twenty-one
of Newington, Connecticut, whose fam- ily was of English extraction. One daughter, Hattie J., was born of this mar- riage. Mrs. Atkins died April 11, 1863. Mr. Atkins was a second time married to Miss Mary Dolbeare, of Colchester, Con- neeticut, who died within a few months. August 17, 1865, Mr. Atkins married Miss Sarah Frances Parker, daughter of Rev. Addison Parker, of Massachusetts. The children born of this marriage are Mary Dolbeare, Henry Cornelius, Sarah Fran- ces, Emma Louise, and Carra Isabel. Mr. Atkins is a man of fine physique, tall, erect and of dignified bearing. He is re- tiring in his disposition and does not mingle much in social or club life, prefer- ring the quiet elegance of his own home, the companionship of his talented wife and daughters and the enjoyment of his books. He has one of the most complete private libraries in the city. He is in- clined more to scientifie works than to romance, and reads all the American and English reviews which note the progress of the world in all departments of litera- ture, science and politics. His devotion to literature is shared by Mrs. Atkins, an accomplished woman-a student of Greek and Latin, who also reads and speaks French fluently. She was edu- cated by her father, the Rev. Addison Parker, a Baptist clergyman of Connecti- cut, who was in early life a professor in Waterville College, Maine. Later she attended the Connecticut Literary Insti- tution at Suffield, the same school her
a attammen de
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BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
husband attended. Mrs. Atkins is now State Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution, her descent being through her mother's family, the Brig- hams, of Massachusetts. Her great- great-grandfather, Abijah Brigham, was a minute man in 1775, and under a second enlistment was a second lieutenant of Sudbury Troops in 1779. Her great- great-grandfather, Charles Haines, was also an officer in the Colonial army and fought at the battles of Concord and Bunker Hill.
ABRAM A. HAMMOND.
Abram Adams Hammond was one of the most prominent men of the State for a decade about the middle of the century. He was of New England extraction, born at Brattleboro, Vermont, March 21, 1814. His parents were Nathaniel and Patty (Ball) Hammond. When he was six years of age the family came west and settled at Brookville, Indiana, where he was edu- cated in the common schools and grew to manhood. His advantages and oppor- tunities were limited, but he improved them with resolute purpose and unbend- ing will. While yet under the lawful age he studied law at Brookville in the office of John Ryman, a lawyer of large ca- pacity and high reputation, whose in- struction could not fail to be valuable to the young student. Sixty years ago a boy was accustomed to lay much more stress upon the simple fact of attaining
his majority than is the custom at the present time. It meant freedom and inde- pendence; a change of relations usually, involving reliance solely upon himself, his own exertions and resources. Upon the attainment of his majority Abram Ham- mond located in Greenfield and opened an office for the practice of law. After a continuous residence there of over five years, with average professional success, he removed to Columbus, Indiana, where he entered into a partnership with John H. Bradley. This association was so agreeable and profitable that in 1846 they removed to Indianapolis in order to better accommodate their larger client- age and facilitate the transactions of a growing business. After a year at Indi- anapolis the firm opened an office at Cin- ciunati, but the next year Mr. Hammond returned to Indianapolis, where he formed a partnership with Hugh O'Neal, whose reputation gave him rank among the leaders of the State bar. In fact he was described as "in many respects an ideal lawyer." The Legislature by special enactment, in 1850, created the Court of Common Pleas for Marion county, and Abram A. Hammond was elected the first judge of that court. Judicial service was not, however, exactly suited to his taste and he was not inclined to retain a resi- dence very long in the same place. He therefore resigned and removed to San Francisco in 1852, forming a partnership for practice with Rufus A. Lockwood, one of the renowned lawyers of the Pa- cific coast, then at the zenith of his fame.
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He remained in San Francisco three years and then returned to Indiana, lo- cating in Terre Haute and forming a part- nership with the late Thomas H. Nelson, who subsequently became very prominent in the politics of the State and served the National Government as minister, both at Mexico and Chili. Judge Hammond had been reared in the Whig school of politics, but upon the dissolution or ab- sorption of that party he became identi- fied with the Democratic party as a leader. He was placed on the ticket as the candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1856 and was elected in October, with Asbel P. Willard for Governor. He pre- sided over the Senate with dignity and authority, having that equipoise which belongs to perfect self-control and facili- tates the control of others acting as a de- liberative body. Through the death of Governor Willard, October 5, 1860, he succeeded to the office of Governor, serv- ing until the close of the term, January 11, 1861, when he was succeeded by Henry S. Lane. The latter resigned a week later to accept the United States Senatorship, and O. P. Morton became acting Gov- ernor. Within a period of 103 days, therefore, the Governor's office for the State of Indiana was administered by four different incumbents-two Demo- crats and two Republicans. In his only official message delivered to the General Assembly Governor Hammond made some very important recommendations, first among which was for the protection of the franchise by wholesome laws gov-
erning popular elections. Owing to the losses suffered by the State and the peo- ple on account of depreciated paper cur- rency and wild-cat banking, he recom- mended the enactment of a law requiring the payment of all debts due the State in gold and silver coin, and then providing for a State subtreasury. He also fa- vored the erection and maintenance of a Reformatory or House of Refuge for ju- venile offenders, a recommendation which assumed tangible form fifteen years later in the Model Reform School at Plainfield. Governor Hammond was a man of fine, symmetrical proportions, a perfect speci- men of physical manhood; but soon after his retirement from office his health was wrecked by rheumatism and thenceforth until his death, in Denver, Colorado, Au- gust 27, 1874, he was a great sufferer. On the day of his funeral at Indianapolis the State offices were closed by procla- mation of Governor Hendricks and he was followed to the tomb in the beautiful city of the dead-Crown Hill-by a con- course of friends, including many of the prominent men of the State. Abram A. Hammond was the accidental and provi- dential Governor of Indiana. His selec- tion as the candidate of his party was by the State Central Committee and was rendered necessary by the ineligibility of John C. Walker, the candidate nominated by the convention, whose age was ascer- tained during the canvass to be under thirty years; and his promotion was due to the death of his superior officer less than ninety days prior to the close of his
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term. A former biographer characterizes him as "not a showy man, but an able one, much abler than the public gave him credit for. He had an analytic and log- ical mind, and was remarkably clever in stating his position and drawing his con- clusions. He- was a close observer of events, and during his life gathered a mass of information not found in books. He was well read in the law, and was a good lawyer, for he comprehended prin- ciples and was able to apply them in his practice. He was of a restless disposi- tion and not content to sit in his office and wait for a client; and it is now diffi- cult to understand how he attained much practice. His head was large and well shaped. While the expression of his countenance was kind and gentle it never betrayed passion or emotion. He was cool, deliberate and self-possessed, keep- ing his feelings and temper under perfect control. He was frank in his manners, honorable in his dealings and dignified in his deportment." Judge Hammond's widow, Mary B. (Amsden) Hammond, died at Denver in 1889. His only surviv- ing child, Mrs. Georgie H. Voorhies, and her husband, J. H. P. Voorhies, reside at Denver, Colorado.
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